Castro daughter leads Cuba march for gay rights

May 11, 2013
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A transvestite holds a gay rights banner and a Cuban national flag while posing for photographers during celebrations marking the upcoming International Day Against Homophobia, in Havana, Cuba, Saturday. / Ramon Espinosa, AP

by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

HAVANA (AP) - About 500 people have marched through the Cuban capital to the rhythm of conga drums in an early celebration of the international day against homophobia.

President Raul Castro's daughter Mariela led Saturday's procession of gays and their supporters, some of whom chanted "Homophobia no! Socialism yes!"

She's head of the National Sexual Education Center and a leading campaigner for gay rights in Cuba, where the government persecuted homosexuals, especially in the 1960s. She says she's optimistic that the communist nation will eventually legalize gay marriage, but says "What is most complicated is the time it takes to overcome prejudices."

Promoters plan a series of expositions and conferences leading up to another celebration in the city of Ciego de Avila on the day against homophobia itself, which falls on May 17.

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